Most of the time, prostate cancer comes on gradually so symptoms aren’t always readily detectable, explains the Mayo Clinic. In later stages of prostate cancer, however, a person may potentially experience difficulty peeing, a reduction in the strength of their urine stream, bone pain, weight loss, or erectile dysfunction. In rare cases, the presence of blood in one’s semen — medically referred to as hematospermia — may also indicate more advanced stages of prostate cancer. Mind you, Harvard Health Publishing notes that in over 86% of men who experience hematospermia, prostate cancer is not the cause.
While such urinary symptoms shouldn’t be ignored, researchers from a 2022 scientific article published in BMC Medicine feel that the focus placed on pee symptoms as the main indicator of prostate cancer is potentially harmful to the general public. Rather, the researchers noted that prostate cancer is a largely asymptomatic disease and highlighted studies that oppositely found there to be no evidence of a link between prostate cancer and urinary abnormalities. One study even found the likelihood for prostate cancer to potentially be higher in the absence of urinary symptoms. The researchers emphasized that they are not dissuading individuals experiencing urinary symptoms from speaking to their doctor about prostate cancer concerns. However, they feel that the public focus should instead be placed on the importance of routine screenings rather than waiting until symptoms are present.
